Veterinary examination and procedure tables are known in the art and are convenient for supporting pets and other animals during examination and treatment. Many veterinary tables have a fixed-height animal support surface. Because the height of the animal support surface cannot be adjusted, it is difficult to lift large animals onto the support surface of fixed-height examination tables, particularly after the animal has been anesthetized. Other veterinary examination tables have adjustable-height animal support surfaces, but these generally include some type of support structure directly beneath the table that limits the minimum height to which the table can be adjusted above the floor surface. Moreover, support structure located directly beneath the table may impede the ability of practitioners to draw close to the table while in a seated position.
During certain procedures such as cutting and trimming of hair and nails, administering shots, suturing wounds, or performing dental work, it may be desired to collect fluid materials discharged from the animal or otherwise used during the procedure and to direct these fluids away from the animal support surface to an appropriate drain. For example, the treatment of wounds, the performance of surgery, or various other veterinary procedures may require irrigation or washing of the animal which generates fluids that should be directed away from the animal support surface. Accordingly, veterinary examination or treatment tables may be provided with a sink, or basin, adapted to collect fluids generated during treatment and to direct these fluids to an appropriate drain. Conventional wet procedure tables, however, are not generally configured for height adjustment.
Prophylactic cleaning and various other dental treatments are becoming increasingly popular, particularly for pets. Such dental procedures necessarily require the use of fluids for washing and irrigation, as discussed above. Moreover, animals undergoing dental treatment are usually anesthetized to facilitate treatment. For proper administration of anesthesia, the weight of the animal must be known. Typically, veterinary practitioners must weight the animal using a separate scale before placing the animal on the treatment table. The extra time and effort required to separately weigh the animal prior to treatment and place the animal on the procedure table increases the time required for treatment and therefore reduces the number of treatments which can be conducted on a given day. The time and effort required to treat a single animal is increased if the height of the procedure table is fixed.
In certain emergency situations, such as when an animal has been hit by a car, time is of the essence to ensure the best possible treatment of the animal. If the animal must be anesthetized for performance of a medical procedure, the weight of the animal must be determined and the extra time and effort required to separately weigh the animal, as discussed above, only delays treatment of the animal.
A need therefore exists for an improved veterinary procedure table that overcomes these and other drawbacks of the prior art.